A patient recently came under our observation with a gumma-like lesion involving the left side of the soft palate and the left tonsillar area. It was acute in onset, and within a short time caused a perforation of the soft palate. Its similarity to a syphilitic and a malignant lesion necessitated considerable pathologic study and the empiric use of arsphenamine intravenously even in the absence of a positive history or serologic indications. The ultimate isolation of a delicate mycelial organism resembling Sporotrichum gave the first information as to the possible cause of the disorder.
The culture and photomicrographs of the organism were shown to Dr. Fred D. Weidman. He tentatively classified it as a Cephalosporium. Further studies apparently confirmed this classification. The organism has been described in the recent foreign literature as a pathogenic agent in human lesions. We have been unable to find any mention of it in